


Just Hold Tight...

by Bubblynx



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), Voltron: Legendary Defender, voltron fix it
Genre: F/F, F/M, It starts out soft but there will be CONSENSUAL nsfw, M/M, protect the sex kids or you're gonna have a lot of babies to feed apple juice to
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:27:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17005980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubblynx/pseuds/Bubblynx
Summary: Two and a half years after Allura's death, Lance finds himself living in a loop and decides to give his former teammates a well-overdue visit on planet Earth.





	1. Reunion

"Alright, alright, settle down children! Former blue and red Paladin Lance will be taking only a few questions, he is a very busy man you know!” The teacher cooed at the small group of alien children in front of her.

  Lance smiled as a small, Altean girl raised her hand and began to wave it excitedly. He was weak to these things, Silvio and Nadia were to blame for that. He pointed to her, chuckling at her enthusiasm. “Yes?” He gave her a warm smile as she began to stutter out her question. 

“Do you ever miss Princess Allura, Mister Lance?...” 

Lance knew this question would come but wasn’t ready for it to be the first. He looked off towards the field of juniberry flowers and nodded before looking back to her, kneeling down to her height. “Of course...I think about Allura and all she had done for us, every single day. Without her, none of this you see right here would be possible. Not even my home planet would be!” He smiled as the children beamed in awe. 

Lance loved teaching the children about their fearless former ruler. Since there wasn’t really anybody to rule Altea with an iron fist now that Allura was gone, he’d visit here and teach the children frequently on his time off, just to see how things were playing out and how well Coran and Merla were dealing with it all. As he was getting ready to stand back up, another child raised their hand. A little half Galran half Altean boy! Lance swore he hadn’t seen anything like that, since...Well... Before he could be reminded of their past aly the little boy blurted out his question. 

Much to Lance’s surprise, it hadn’t been about Allura. “What about the other Paladins? Hunk, Pidge or Keith? Do you still talk to them?” 

Lance felt like this was some kind of call out, he knew the child hadn’t known how long it’s been since he’s seen them...It was just a painful reminder of how overdue their reunion was. He stood up, crossing his arms as he smiled sadly at the child. “Well...I’ll be honest with you, I don’t actually know what’s up with the others. But thank you for your question, it reminded me that maybe I should cut this lesson short and go pay all of them a little visit.” 

The red Paladin looked at the teacher in a plea to be let off early today. He really did want to see what the others were up to, he’d even heard that Shiro had gotten engaged to another man! And flight class pilot Curtis, none the less! The teacher sighed and smiled softly at the former Paladin as she nodded, waving her hand. 

“Alright children, that’s enough for today, Mister McClain has important business to attend to. You will see him in a few weeks for your next lesson.” 

Before she knew it, they were off, giggling and chatting back and forth, rolling on the grass and playing in the flowers. The perfect distraction for Lance to flee the scene. Lance was about to make his way back to the red lion when the teacher had stopped him in his tracks, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“Do all of us a favour and take a decent amount of time for yourself, you don’t have to be here so often, Lance...I know you want to do this for her, but we have Coran and Merla, as well as the rest of our race here now. It’s no longer just her fighting for what’s right, it’s all of us together. Now go, enjoy yourself.” She smiled gently as she waved him off. “Class dismissed.”

Lance smiled in return, waving to the teacher and all of the children as he ran back to Red. He probably should have made the effort to speak to Coran, but there was no time to waste. He had been given orders to enjoy himself, and that’s what he was going to do. Lance took in a deep breath before shoving his Bayard into the port, starting Red up and taking off after setting the coordinates to Earth. The former Paladin leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily as Red autopilot his way to Earth’s atmosphere. 

Was he really ready to face all of them after so long? It’s been a year...No, two...Three? God, he couldn’t even remember the last time it was since he’d seen every one in one place. He wondered if they’d be upset with him for shutting them out for so long just to keep Allura’s efforts alive. He knew that wasn’t the full case, though. He knew they were fine there without him...But what did he have aside from her and his family farm? 

This hadn’t been the first time he’s come to the brutal reality of his somewhat wasted efforts on Allura, now that she was gone everything just felt...Empty, like some kind of endless void. If he wasn’t on Altea or working his life away, he felt the pain on what he’d been missing out on...Willingly, missing out on. He decided that tonight he would do everything and anything he wanted, by the side of his former teammates, of course.

 As Red approached the Garrison grounds Lance begun to panic a little on the inside. He didn’t even remember what any of them looked like! Well, kind of, he was hoping that they all stayed the same to avoid giving him whiplash.

 He pushed himself up and out of his seat, making his way out of the mouth of the red lion. Lance looked up at the Familiar buildings, smiling wistfully to himself. He hardly had the time to take it all in when two familiar voices boomed from the now open doorway to one of the buildings.

“LANCE!!” Pidge screamed as she ran full tilt at the poor guy. It seems he’d been expected! Lance let out his signature high pitched scream as Pidge knocked him flat to the ground, Hunk being quick to follow suit into the small dog-pile they’ve created on the ground. Lance laughed and yanked them both into his arms as they all decided that it was time to stand up. 

“Where the hell have you been?!” Hunk started, crossing her arms and giving Lance a rather offended look. Pidge quickly nodded and decided to add on.

“Yeah! We haven’t seen you in forever! Listen, we get it, Altea is-“ 

Lance sighed. “Important to me? Yes. But it’s not the only thing that I have in my life, I know, trust me...I’ve heard it all before from Coran. That’s why I’m here, to make things right...Trust me, I really am sorry for how overdue this meeting has been...” He frowned a little as he softly squeezed the two of them in his arms. 

Hunk sighed and looked over at Pidge as if asking for permission to forgive the guy. Hunk knew that Lance wouldn’t apologize if he didn’t mean it. Pidge rolled her eyes before she nodded and smiled, rubbing her fist into Lance’s head. 

“Aw, we forgive you, loverboy. You’re still our friend, even if you did ditch us for a planet for an entire two and a half years...Also, what’s with the weird Altean get up you have going on, you know, the markings on your face?”

Lance ran his fingers over his markings, they were blue, just like Coran’s. He couldn’t remember when they first appeared, he just remembered having them after his last kiss with... No, he wasn’t going to do this right now. He’d been trying for the past few years to get over the loss of Allura and he’d been doing fine! At least he likes to think so... “I can’t remember when I got them...I guess they’re just apart of who I am now.” 

Hunk shook his head. “No. Nah. I’m not really feeling the whole “Altean Lance” thing happening in front of me right now. It’s almost like you became the perfect man for her...I don’t know if I like that, Lance...” 

Lance gave a semi-convincing smile that slowly faltered as he thought about Hunk’s words. “I...Don’t think I-“ Lance choked on his words as a familiar robotic arm wrapped itself around his slender shoulders. “S-...Shiro!” The red Paladin’s frown instantly left as he turned to grin at the taller man. He chuckled when Shiro messed up his hair, it was a nostalgic feeling that Lance came to love. 

“How’s the skies up there, sharpshooter?” Shiro joked as he patted Lance’s back, seems like Shiro was a little pissed at Lance for missing over two to three years with them too. Lance laughed and pulled Shiro into his arms with his two other victims, it was a soft, sweet moment as they exchanged small compliments and stories with each other for about what Lance could have sworn was an hour or two. None of them wanted to part ways, they decided that they would go out and have fun tonight. After all, Earth had done an amazing job at rebuilding itself with the help of the coalition. 

Shiro beamed happily at all of them as they sat down at the bar table together. He turned to Hunk and began chatting about the business Hunk had worked to achieve and how he and Shay had been doing. 

“It’s nice to finally have all of us together again, even if I can’t really do much in here at my age.” Pidge looked to Lance as she smiled. “Well, almost all of us...” She looked to the doorway as a tall, long-haired man walked through the bar to their table.

Lance blinked a few times as he tried to process how insanely pretty this guy was. “Woah....” He whispered softly as the man sat down at their table, leaning on his arm as he flashed a grin at the slightly smaller Paladin.

“Hey, rival.”

Lance’s jaw hung open slightly as he eyed the man up and down. His eyes were piercingly gorgeous and his skin was clear and looked soft to the touch. Even his lips were captivating him as he watched the man lean in. 

Wait.... 

Lance found his eyes fixated on the fingerless gloves, tightly fitted to those soft looking hands in front of him. Oh my god, it was Keith. The former Paladin slowly guided his eyes up to Keith’s, looking his directly into those sparkling, amethyst irises. He was fucking gorgeous, unlike anything Lance had ever seen. Of course, Lance always found Keith rather handsome, but to this extent?... He was going to need a good few drinks tonight to deal with this new revelation.

 

He found himself staring at him for a weird amount of time before feeling his face heat up as he began to respond. “Nice job Lance, you don’t see the guy for nearly three years and you awkwardly stare at him when you see him again? Smooth.” He thought to himself as he sat up more in his seat, smiling warmly at his old rival. “Oh, woah, hey. Damn, Keith. When did you get so..."

 

 

Keith snorted softly. “Tall? Moms genes really did wonders for my semi-late growth spurt. Apparently, the Galra don’t hit puberty for a while compared to humans, so...Yeah.”

 

 Oh good, he was as dense as ever. Lance didn’t complain because he knew that he himself was pretty much the same, but he didn’t want to let this small miscommunication ruin his compliment.

Lance shook his head as he felt his cheeks brighten with a tint of red. “No, I meant.....You look beautiful. I-I mean, you look like, really good. Like you’re good....good looking...” Lance could hear himself audibly gulp over the silence, except for Pidge’s faint snickers in the corner. Keith smiled softly at him as his cheeks turned a light pink at the fact that Lance, his rival...Called him...Beautiful? 

“Thank you, Lance. That’s...Really sweet of you. I think that you’re pretty too.” He laughed a little as Shiro lightly slapped his arm. Keith seemed like he’s already had a fair share of alcohol tonight and was just waiting to sober up a little. 

Keith couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at the sight of Lance panicking, rolling his eyes as he set a glass down in front of Lance. “Martini. Now drink. Don’t drink too much tonight, though. It’s been forever, I’d like to catch up.”

Shiro looked to Pidge and Hunk and smiled knowingly as he took both of them by the hands. “Well. It’s time we go get some food, yeah? We’re gonna head up to the front and eat there while you and Keith catch up, okay?” He smiled and waved as he walked away without another word.

Lance looked up at Keith’s flushed face, sighing as he took a sip from his glass. “You’re drunk, Keith...” Keith smiled to himself as he looked into his glass. “Just a little...Just working up the nerve to come here, it’s been too long, Lance.....I...Felt really shitty here for a while without you. It wasn’t the same...” 

It had been a while since Lance had heard Keith talk like this, he remembered the last time clearly. They were on top of the black lion, Lance was stressed after spending nearly an hour and a half dealing with Coran’s wild outfit ideas and plans for his first date with Allura. In the end, none of that was really worth all of the trouble it seemed. He spent another hour looking for Keith, he needed...Something. He just didn’t know what, but usually, Keith was able to tell him exactly what he needed to hear. And he did. Keith told him everything he could have ever wanted to hear that night. After that, he watched the sunset with him...He remembered being oddly at peace with the moment...So much that the date hadn’t even noticed that he was nearly twenty minutes late for his date.

He sighed as he looked up into Keith’s eyes as he finished off his martini, he loved remembering the good times. “Thank you, Keith...I really needed to hear that...I'm sorry for being gone for so long, I swear that I'll make it up to all of you-”

“I’m not finished....” Keith managed to utter out, earning a little giggle from the man across from him.

“Okay, then spit it out, Mullet.”

“It’s ponytail now, actually.” Keith spat back nearly immediately after Lance’s remark, holding up his hair and wiggling it slightly. Lance found himself bursting into tiny fits of laughter as he thought of the statement. No, no....No. Mullet is the only lame nickname allowed, that is law.

“Oh my god, shut up and just say what you have to say you dork!” Lance chuckled, waiting patiently for Keith to respond. It took him a while, a bit of fidgeting in his seat and a few silent, shy smiles, but it was worth it to Lance, it had been an insanely long time, he was willing to wait for what his ex-rival had to say.

“Lance...That night we watched the sunset together...Did you...Figure out what I was trying to say?....” Keith spoke softly this time and it gave Lance a slight chill down his spine.

“What?.... Keith, I-I don’t understand.” The red Paladin stuttered out, earning another shy look from Keith’s now completely flushed face.

“I-I was trying to tell you that if I were her, I would have loved you for you...Because I do...”

Lance raised his eyebrow and shook his head slightly. “Keith, I still don’t...”

“I loved you for you. For your stupid, dorky and annoying Earth self...” Keith looked up from his glass, teary-eyed as Lance finally got the hint, he gazed at him, reaching across the table and gently setting his hand atop Keith’s.

 

“Keith, you’re drunk, y-you...Have to watch what you’re saying...”

“I still do, Lance...”

“Keith, stop...”

Keith sighed in mild frustration, averting his eyes as Lance slowly drew his hand back, causing Keith to give him a defeated look. 

“I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have said anything. God, you just wanted to catch up a-and I drank so much and came here...A-And-“ 

Lance kept his eyes on Keith’s, pressing his hand forward and gently squeezing Keith’s in his own. “Keith...Calm down. It’ll be okay, I’m not mad at you...How about I show you where I’m staying and we’ll sober you up, okay? How does a big glass of water sound right about now?” 

The former black Paladin gave him a warm smile as he kept ahold of his hand, nodding slowly. “Yeah...I’m a mess, I know...That sounds like an awesome idea. Thank you, Lance.” 

“I care about you, Keith. I’m not going to leave your drunken ass here alone, something awful could happen to you...Shiro will handle the others, let’s get moving, okay? Just hold tight...”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Catching up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting Keith's drunk-ass into the hotel, Lance and he catch up and have a more memorable bonding moment.

It was pure hell getting Keith across the street, not to mention the elevator was broken down and they had to take the stairs to Lance's room on the top floor. Lance wasn't one to rush, though. If anything, it was nice looking after Keith.

 

"That's it, take your time, we're almost there. Oh, and watch out for the-" 

 

"Fuck!" Keith shouted as he whacked his head off the top of the doorframe, he really was a lot taller than Lance now. Had to be the Galra genes, this guy was basically a fetus when Lance had first met him. Lance tried to fight the urge to laugh, failing miserably and earning a soft pout from the taller man. 

 

Lance hushed him before he could crack any remarks, sitting him down gently onto the soft couch in the middle of the living room. Keith instantly relaxed at the feeling of the cushion behind him, humming happily as Lance ran to grab him two tall glasses of water, he was going to put ice into it but by the amount that Keith had been drinking he was certain that his ex-rival would choke to death on one of the ice cubes. 

 

He had seated himself next to Keith, gently patting his back as Keith chugged the first one down, sighing in relief as his small headache started to deteriorate while the cool liquid washed the taste of rum and coke out of his mouth. Keith turned and smiled genuinely, letting out a small chuckle. 

 

"Thank you, Lance...I'm sorry that I kind of ruined the whole reunion thing, I didn't mean for this to happen. It's just been so long since I've seen you and I  got a bit nervous about facing you again. A lot of us thought you'd forgotten about us." 

 

Lance's smile faltered as he looked up at Keith, setting his hand atop his bicep. 

 

"Keith, I would never forget about any of you. I couldn't...We've been through so much. I just..." 

 

"I know that!" Keith blurted out, earning a shocked look from Lance. Ah, damn, he didn't mean to yell. Keith took a moment to gain composure before sighing and speaking in his usual tone. 

 

"I know...You felt like you had to keep what Allura left behind. But Lance, this isn't right. It isn't-" 

 

"Keith, stop it, I'm just placing the pieces she left behind back together again. Is that so wrong? What do you want me to do?..." Lance choked out as he felt himself begin to tear up.

 

The former leader felt his heart sink at the sight of what he'd made his friend. He made him feel this way...Lance was just trying to have fun and get along, he knew that...It wasn't the time for this, but...When was the right time? When would he ever see Lance again after this? He had to do something, _say_ something. He wasn't sure what was going to come out, but he decided to let it fly anyways in hopes that his lips wouldn't betray him.

 

"I want you to live, Lance..." Keith spoke softly as he turned to completely face him, grabbing his hand softly and squeezing it gently within his own. "I want you to live the life I know you want to...I want you to live a life of adventure, go out there and explore the world. You've worked hard before Voltron even came to be...Why would you toss it away for anybody? That's not the Lance I knew..." 

 

Lance sat in silence as he listened to Keith speak, the tears sliding down his face were no longer ones of pure sadness, but of regret. Keith was right, everything he had ever said tonight had been the truth, Lance knew that because Keith only spoke from the heart if he spoke at all. That hit hard. Why had Lance let his dreams go?... He was over Allura, he was so sure of it... He didn't love her anymore, but as the man who had gotten her last words, as her friend, he helped keep her work going even though he didn't have to at all

 

As Lance took a few more moments to think, the more he realised that he actually hadn't been healing, he'd just been replaying the same day over and over again and not really getting anywhere in _his_ life in the process. The more he thought about it the more it broke his heart, he'd really been just wasting away in Allura's remnants for the past two and a half years... 

 

"I want you to heal, Lance..." Keith whispered, just loud enough to snap Lance out of his train of thought.

 

Lance sniffled and before he could speak, he was pulled into Keith's surprisingly strong arms. It was warm, comforting for how the realization had made him feel. Keith didn't usually touch anybody or hug anyone but when he did it was the best, he'd always given the best hugs. As a few seconds passed, he gave in, tightly wrapping his arms around Keith's neck as he felt him rest his hands onto his waist. It felt nice having Keith this close to his body, it felt...Right. Keith pulled back just long enough to drink the second glass of water before going back to holding the smaller man in his arms. Lance didn't want him to let go as he sobbed softly on his broadened shoulder, sliding his arms down to Keith's chest as he felt his friend's arms loop tightly around his waist, pulling him closer to his body.

 

After a few minutes of soothing, Lance finally calmed down and pulled back just enough to look up at Keith, wiping his tears away on his shirt sleeve. "I'm sorry you had to see that..." 

 

Keith smiled gently and shook his head as he kept his hands on the former Paladin's waist. "Don't be...I know it's hard to accept things like this, I've never been good with death. You know how long it took me to get over my Dad's?... I still think about him, every day. But I live my own life because it's what he would have wanted. You should too..." 

 

Lance smiled sadly as he leaned into Keith's touch, letting out a long sigh. "Yeah...Well you'd think 2 and a half years would be long enough, right?..." 

 

Keith shook his head and smiled. "Yeah? Try nearly nine...Then come talk to me." 

 

Lance smiled up at him as he began rubbing little circles on his bicep. He could tell that Keith was sobered up enough now, thank god, he was nearly certain he'd have to walk the poor man to the bathroom and back at the sight of how he'd been staggering around earlier. 

 

"Well I probably would have if it weren't for your pep talk."

 

Keith snorted, letting out a chuckle. "Is that what we're calling it?" 

 

Lance nodded, smirking slyly as he ran his fingers through Keith's hair. "What I say, goes, "Ponytail"." 

 

Keith blushed and rolled his eyes at him, giving Lance the same dangerously adorable smirk he'd always give him whenever Lance would start cracking jokes. "I knew that nickname would catch on at some point..." 

 

Lance smiled softly as he kept his eyes on Keith's, giggling a bit as he shook his head. "You're good at making me laugh, you know that?" 

 

"It's a part of helping you heal, trust me, I have more where that came from if it helps you enjoy yourself tonight. Plus I'm sure you'd rather be having a civil conversation with me rather than listening to me drunkenly ramble in a bar." Keith snickered as he earned a playful nudge from Lance at the remark. 

 

Lance couldn't remember when it was that he had this much fun or spent this much time with someone other than Coran and Merla. It felt good. Being near Keith always felt good...Especially when it was just the two of them. They sat, joking together as they cuddled in the warmth of eachothers bodies. Lance could feel Keith's heartbeat begin to pick up, he knew what this was turning into. He didn't have to think twice. It was a dangerous thought, but Lance didn't want this night to end, he could spend eternity sitting on this couch with Keith, bantering back and forth as they somehow managed to slowly get closer, despite Lance nearly being on top of him.

 

It had been a while since Lance had been touched too, sure, he hadn't really had the time to, but he'd had a fling or two...One even being with an Altean guy in one of the fields on his family farm, which he prayed that his Mother would never find out about. It wasn't like he'd never thought Keith was attractive, hell, he even openly admitted it earlier to the man! 

 

Although he wanted to let himself go and let Keith take him for the night...He didn't want to destroy the warmth of the moment. Maybe tonight wasn't the night to do this, maybe it wasn't even...Smart...To think about doing it at all with the man.

 

Keith was here to help him, to talk to him. He was here to help him begin his healing...That was all, he was here to be a friend. There was nothing more...But it didn't feel that way. He couldn't do it, instead of giving in to these desires, Lance found himself laying his head into the warmth of Keith's chest, smiling and humming quietly.

 

The pure warmth of Keith's strong arms and the soft beat of his heart was the most comforting thing he'd felt in years. He wanted to stay awake, wanted to talk more...But as he felt Keith begin to rub little circles into his scalp, his body began to relax completely and all he could do was slowly drift off into the best sleep he'd had in years. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhgggh here it is the second chapter! Sorry if it's not as good as the first but I can't start a story and not finish it! So.....Just saying, you will not be getting any abandoned works from me,,,,


	3. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith builds up the courage to tell Lance something he'd been keeping locked away from him for a while as Lance gives in to a different form of healing. (Slight nsfw in this, please be warned. This will get explicit during Chapter 4.)

"Mama, when I get older, I wanna be a space explorer!" 

 

The boys' Mother spun around to face him, giving him a gentle smile. "And why is that, honey?..." 

 

The boy beamed, a shine of wonder sparkling in his big blue eyes as he looked up at his Mother. "I wanna be just like Veronica, a-and Shiro!" 

 

His Mother let out a giggle as she knelt down, her words not reaching the boys' ears as he tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but it felt important...The boy leaned in closer, desperately trying to hear her...

 

“Mama?....” Lance whispered as his eyes slipped open to the dim lighting of his hotel bedroom, how long had he napped for? He looked at his phone, the screen read “1:00 am”, he’d slept a full five hours?! Lance mentally admitted to himself that although it was rude to pass out o company like that, it was a much needed rest after years of getting as little as two to three hours a night and maybe four in the middle of the day, sometimes in the stacks of hay by Kaltenecker’s pen when his family decided to take a break from their work. That was really all the time he’d taken for himself since the last time he’d seen his teammates. It saddened him a little, but he was changing that now and he was proud to be back with everyone!

 

In speaking of “everyone”, where was Keith?... He got up slowly, making his way to the delicious, savoury scent emitting from the kitchen doorway that had made its way into the living room. There he was, humming softly to himself as he flipped a steak in the pan in front of him, lifting the lid to a pot on the next burner to check on something else he’d been making. Lance could stare at him for hours, watching him work away silently in the kitchen, listening to the soft hum of his voice. Keith really was gorgeous, no doubt about it...And on top of that, he was an amazing and supportive man, Lance knew he’d do anything for him, Keith confirmed that with his words that night on top of the black lion.

 

Thinking about the way Keith had been treating him and the way Keith expressed his genuine concerns about him made his heart skip a beat, he wasn’t all that sure on what that meant yet, but he liked it.

 

Keith spun around when he finally noticed Lance eyeing him from the doorway, giving him a little smirk over his shoulder.

 

“What? See something you like?”

 

Lance blushed as he smiled at him for a moment before making his way to the table and sitting down.

 

“With a body like that? You make it hard to lie and say “no”.” Lance confidently flirted back, earning a laugh from Keith as he made his way over with two dishes of surprisingly good looking food. Where’d this man learn to cook?!

 

The former leader sat back in the chair next to Lance’s and smiled as he pressed one of the plates forward, handing him a fork and knife. “Here...I felt bad for intoxicated myself to the point where you had to drag me across the street earlier so...I figured I’d make dinner.”

 

Lance smiled and rose his eyebrow before setting his arm on the table and leaning on it, giving Keith a flirty smirk. “How do I know this isn’t just a date set-up, hm?...”

 

Keith scoffed, nudging him nearly off his chair. “You wish, loverboy. Now shut your mouth and eat up.” He joked, earning a chuckle from Lance in the process.

 

After eating, Lance found himself snuggled up with Keith again on the couch, flickering through random channels in hops to find something decent to use as background sound during their conversation. Lance eventually got tired of looking and set it on a news channel, tossing his remote to the side as he cuddled into Keith.

 

“There’s never anything good on, not here and most certainly not on Altea...” He grumbles, moving up and down with the soft heaves of Keith’s chest as he laughed quietly.

 

“We don’t always get what we want, do we?...”

 

Lance snorted in response, raising an eyebrow at Keith. “Yeah? I know that all too well with the amount of failed relationships I’ve had.” Keith blushed, giving him a warm smile as he reached across the table and gently held Lance’s hand in his own.

 

“You haven’t found the right person...And...In speaking of that...Lance, can I be honest with you?...”

 

Lance looked up at him as he was about to cut a piece of steak for himself, setting his utensils down on the table.

 

“Of course. What’s on your mind?”

 

Keith let out a long sigh, fidgeting a bit with his thumbs as he kept his eyes on the ground.

 

“Lance, the reason I was so nervous to come out to see everyone tonight wasn’t because I was really all that scared of seeing you. It was because there’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time...” Lance nodded as he stayed silent, turning his full attention to him as he squeezed his soft hand within his own.

Lance smiled reassuringly, patting his leg with his other hand for a moment before bringing it back up to grab his cup of water, taking a small sip to ready himself for whatever Keith was about to unleash. No, he was just thirsty, alcohol always made his mouth dry. 

 

Keith grumbled softly, looking up at him nervously as he spoke in a quieter tone. 

 

"Can we...Go sit down somewhere more comfortable? I don't like how the table makes this feel like an interrogation." Keith joked as he gave Lance a try-hard grin.

 

Lance nearly choked on his water as he listened to the remark, covering his nose. 

 

"You're going to make me snort out water!"

 

A chuckle bubbled out of the taller man's throat as he pats Lance gently on the back. 

 

"S-Sorry...I'll give you a few minutes." He smiled softly, helping Lance up as he coughed quietly into his own arm.

 

They made their way to the couch, Keith sitting Lance down as he patiently waited for his coughing to die down. When it finally did, Lance smiled weakly and answered him. 

 

“Go ahead, I promise I’ll listen to all of it.”

 

Keith looked up at him longingly as he spoke in a gentle tone, giving Lance the softest look he'd ever seen from him in all of his years of knowing him.

 

"Lance...I think I have feelings for you...” The taller man gazed into his own blue irises, captivating him completely as he watched him slowly work up the nerve to continue.

 

“I have for a while...I’ve been holding it back for years, Lance. That night you had your first date with Allura? I...I just wanted you to be happy....” Keith nearly teared up as he felt Lance’s grip loosen before his hand completely disappeared from his own. He messed up, didn’t he?

 

 Keith shook his head, smiling sadly as he sniffled, wiping a small collection of tears from his eyes. "Fuck, please, say something...I don’t want to ruin us. Just tell me that you don’t feel the same and I’ll take it...I-“

 

“Keith...I’m not mad...Listen, I...I don’t know what I feel. Although I’m still healing, I find myself thinking about how lonely life is without someone....I...Thought about making a proposition earlier...But I realize how stupid that must be, you know...Sleeping with someone just out of pure loneliness...Isn't it pathetic?”

 

Keith shook his head, pulling Lance’s body against his own as he mimicked the intimate position they had earlier that night. “It’s not stupid...I understand it. I want it too, but that's not what I'm here for, Lance...I want to help you heal."

 

Lance could hear the hesitation in his voice as he spoke, he didn't know how to heal and he knew that Keith didn't really know how to help even though he'd desperately wanted to. He thought that maybe doing this could serve as a form of healing...A form of _something_. He was tired of feeling alone and restless, he just wanted it to end, even if it was just for a night. 

 

That's it. It's been decided.

 

Lance pressed himself forward, lightly pressing into the soft lips of his ex-rival. The kiss was supposed to be quick, but Keith had another idea. A soft hum emitted from Keith's throat as he wrapped his arms tightly around his former teammate's waist, pressing his tongue against the soft, pale-pink skin of his lips. Lance couldn't help himself, he let his eyes flutter shut as he parted his lips for the taller man, allowing Keith's tongue to slip in, dancing slowly with his own as he felt his worries instantly begin to melt away to the back of his mind. 

 

Right now, all he wanted to focus on was Keith. They both wanted and needed this. There was no going back, it had already started and there was only going forward from here. 

 

Minutes passed as their movements turned from shy and gentle to sloppy and rough, Lance beginning to slowly grind against his ex-rival as he seated himself perfectly within the dip of his lap. Lance sighed into Keith's mouth as he heard a soft groan bubble up from the bottom of his throat, slowly slipping his tongue out of the pleasant warmth of Keith's mouth, panting breathlessly, a small thread of saliva connecting them. 

 

Keith panted as he looked at him longingly, his half-lidded eyes glazed over in a daze of pure lust. 

 

"Lance...It's getting late, I-I should....Let you-" 

 

Lance shook his head, giving him the same desperate face, rolling his hips into Keith's own and earning a low groan from the taller man. 

 

"Fuck, Lance...I..." 

 

"Don't push me away, not tonight...Please, Keith...Help me move forward..." 

 

Keith bit his lip, taking a moment before nodding and lifting him up into his arms as he pulled himself off the warmth of the couch. 

 

"Okay...But I'm not fucking you on the couch, that's kinda just rude for the cleaners." He chuckled lightly as he heard Lance let out a soft laugh of his own. 

 

"Alright...Don't destroy me, okay? It's been a while...." 

 

Keith nearly keeled over when they made it to the bedroom, bursting into a small fit of laughter. 

 

"That's probably the least sexy thing I could have ever heard before sex..." 

 

Lance grins looking up at him as he pressed a soft kiss to his nose. 

 

"I'm the master of comedy, Keith. It doesn't turn off, no matter the situation." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it issss...The third chapter. There's going to be uh....Nsfw in the fourth one so please be warned, if you are under 18 this isn't for you.


	4. A Different Type of Healing...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After catching up, Lance begs Keith to stay and makes a proposition that his ex-rival wouldn't dare to refuse.

“I’m sooo full...” Pidge groaned as she leaned back in her chair, pushing her gut out purposefully to make it look worse than it actually was.

 

 

Hunk rolled his eyes at her and laughed, gently slapping her stomach. “Woman up, Pidge! You used to eat way more than that during our snack raids at the Garrison!”

 

 

“The what?” Shiro raised his eyebrow at the two, earning a nervous, forced laugh from the two of them.

 

 

“Nothing, Shiro. It’s not important...On to more important matters, where the hell is Keith and Lance?...” Hunk questioned, glancing over at the now empty table the two ex-rivals were once

bantering at.

 

Shiro let out a long, frustrated sigh as he picked himself up from his chair and handed the cashier enough to pay for Keith’s drink splurge from earlier.

 

 

“Please forgive me, my brother is an idiot at times...This won’t happen again, I promise.”

 

 

The cashier scoffed, eyeing the bartender in an attempt to get her to speak up. The bartender rolled her eyes, looking up at Shiro and the others as she wiped out a glass.

 

 

“Yeah? Well, we’d love to believe you but he’s got a pretty gnarly tab racked up here over the past few weeks.” 

 

 

Shiro didn’t know what to think, he knew Keith had a problem with it but he didn’t know it was becoming a literal addiction. He slapped a few hundreds on the table and gave them a stern look as he spoke.

 

 

“This is for the tab and to keep him out of here from now on, got it?”

 

 

The bartender smirked and picked all of it up, flicking between the hundreds in her well-manicured hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Takashi. We’ll start keeping an eye out. I don’t think you have to worry about him tonight, though. He headed out with that Altean earlier.”

 

 

Shiro smiled reassuringly at the two former-Paladins.

 

 

“At least they’re safe together, that’s all that matters...”

 

 

Pidge snorted before giving him a playful grin.

 

 

“What did we let those two get into?...”

 

———————————————————————————————————————————

 

“What did I get myself into?...” Lance thought as he looked into the gorgeous, lilac eyes of the taller man before him.

 

 

 

Keith had him pinned, straddling his hips as he kissed the soft skin of his neck. Lance could feel his fangs graze ever so slightly over the sensitive skin of his jugular before he leaned in further to suck light bruises into it.

 

 

 

“That feels good...” Lance hummed quietly as he listened to Keith chuckle lowly in response. Lance watched as he switched to the other side of him and began to nip and bite at the skin.

 

 

“You’re teasing too much...” Lance whined as Keith pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

 

 

“Lance, I’ve had a crush on you for years...I am not going to rush this.” He smiled reassuringly as he slipped his hands up the rugged fabric covering Lance’storso, rolling his thumbs over his soft nipples before giving them a small pinch.

 

 

“A-Ah! Your hands are cold, stop that...”

 

 

Keith rose his eyebrow and smirked flirtatiously at him as he pinched them harder. “Is that really all?...”

 

 

Lance gasped as his body jerked slightly up into Keith’s touch, causing a little whimper to rise out of him.

 

 

“Nnh...It feels weird...But...Kinda good too...”

 

 

Keith’s expression softened, gazing at him with half-lidded eyes as he slowly lifted his shirt and leaned down towards his softly-heaving chest.

 

 

“You’ll like this too...Just lay back and relax...” He spoke, flicking his tongue out and rolling it over one of Lance’s nipples before taking it into his mouth, sucking hard enough for a moan to wriggle its way out of his crush's throat.

 

 

“K-Keith, god, can't take it...I need more...Please...” Lance quietly begged as his legs fell open for the taller man above him.

 

 

Keith hummed softly in response as he reached one hand down the waistline of Lance’s tight pants, giving his growing bulge a gentle squeeze. The former team leader slowly released the now-erect and abused nipple from his mouth and watched as his lover’s eyes rolled in pleasure.

 

 

Keith smirked at the way Lance’s body jerked and shuddered to his every touch, it was arousing him to no end and he knew he needed to start focusing on Lance right away, there was no way he was going to press on without some preparation.

 

 

Keith eagerly shimmied the smaller boys skinny jeans off and nearly tore his boxers off in the process. Lance had more boxers than that packed, right? “Surely he wouldn’t mind...” Keith thought as he grabbed the thin fabric and tore it open to reveal Lance’s perfect ass before flipping Lance onto his stomach.

 

 

“Raise your hips for me, baby...” He ordered as Lance immediately obliged, raising his ass up until Keith was happy with the position.

 

 

Keith looked around the room for a moment and sighed to himself. Oh yeah, Lance didn’t have any lube...No wonder, not like he would expect to need it on a trip that was strictly supposed to start and end with a visit to his friends. No problem, Keith had a simple solution in mind.

 

 

Keith moved his hand up to Lance’s face and pressed two of his fingers past the soft, pale-pink entry of his mouth. Lance moaned softly at the intrusion and began to slowly suck and lick the taller mans fingers, bobbing his head slightly to tease him.

 

 

Keith shuddered as he slowly undone his belt with his free hand, letting the navy coloured denim hit the bed as he immediately slipped his already hard cock out of the sheer fabric of his boxers.

 

 

Keith groaned huskily as he began pumping his dick slowly within his own grasp, slipping his fingers from Lance’s mouth and dragging them down to the small, pink ring of muscles in front of him.

 

 

He huffed, pumping his already dripping cock slightly faster as he slowly slipped one of his slick fingers inside.

 

 

“This won’t take long, I promise...”

 

 

Lance let out a soft giggle and a nod in response, moaning quietly as Keith began to thrust his finger in and out of him, moving it in until his was knuckle-deep.

 

 

“A-Ah....Keith, that feels so good...” He moaned as he wiggled his hips a little in a teasing manner.

 

 

“Yeah?... Want another one?...” Keith whispered softly as he prodded him with the second finger.

 

 

Lance gave a fast nod as he subconsciously began to ride his fingers.

 

 

“Fuck, yes...God, Keith, it’s not enough...Come on, give me something bigger...” Lance whimpered as he threw his hips back harshly, driving Keith’s fingers directly into his prostate. “F-Fuck!!” He yelped as his legs began to shake beneath him.

 

 

Keith bit his lip as he slipped his fingers from Lance’s twitching hole before replacing it with the hard tip of his cock. “Ffffuucccckkk, Lance....You’re tight as hell....” He groaned as he slowly sunk his length into the shivering body beneath him.

 

 

“Oh- fuck-...” Lance choked out before gasping at the slow entry of the rock hard cock behind him. “O-Oh...That’s bigggg~” lance purred as he teasingly rolled his hips.

 

 

Keith grunted at the sudden movement, reeling his hand back and giving Lance a firm slap on the ass, earning a loud help from the smaller man in return.

 

 

“Like that?....”

 

 

Lance nodded and looked back at him, wiggling his hips in response. “Y-Yeah...Do it again...”

 

 

“Wow, you really make it hard to say no, huh?...” Keith joked before giving him another, harder slap on his already reddened skin as he softly began to thrust his cock into him.

 

 

Lance bit his lip as his eyes rolled back in pleasure, throwing his hips back gently with every thrust Keith gave in a perfect rhythm.

 

 

“Y-Yeah, Keith... Fuck me...” Lance panted as Keith began to pick up speed, causing Lance’s ass to bounce back on his dick.

 

 

“Yes, fuck, baby just like that-...Hng!” Keith grunted as he felt Lance begin to toss his hips back harder, hearing those small, erotic giggles and moans escape from his mouth.

 

 

“Jesus, Lance, I-“

 

 

“Shhh...” Lance cooed before slipping himself off of his cock, earning a needy whimper from Keith at the loss of the tight warmth.

 

 

Keith was about to retort when Lance firmly pushed him back against the mound of pillows behind him, watching as Lance straddled him before sliding his tight ass back down on his cock.

 

 

“Oh?...Going to take me for a ride, sharpshooter?...”

 

 

Lance giggled seductively as he raised his hips up and threw them back down, loud slapping of skin against skin echoing through the hotel room.

 

 

“Well, your bikes- ah, broken so, mmmn~...I figured I’d ride the next best thing.” He winked at him as he bit his lip, bouncing on the thick member below him.

 

 

Keith couldn’t take it anymore, the tight heat of Lance’s insides was becoming too unbearable to let Lance ride it out on his own. He firmly grabbed Lance’s hips, slamming his body down on his dick as he bucked roughly into him, panting as Lance’s ass bounced harshly on his already twitching cock.

 

 

“OH KEITH!~” Lance called out as he felt his body start to give way, collapsing into Keith’s chest as he moaned loud and uncontrollably against him.

 

 

“Yes, yes, yes! Fuck me- Keith- oh god!”

 

 

Keith groaned as he felt himself reaching the edge, his hips involuntarily bucking harder into the tight, abused hole wrapped around him.

 

 

“You like it when I fuck you, hm?... Say it Lance, tell me how much you like that cock...”

 

 

Lance rolled his hips on him, pushing himself back up to match Keith’s rhythm as he rode him like a champ.

 

 

This was a whole lot different than Keith imagined it would be, he knew Lance had a decent knowledge on how to please his partner, but to this extent? He would have asked Lance years ago!

 

 

“Oh Keith, fucking break me! Ah, fuck! I’ve never been fucked so g-...good before...” He purred as he let out a string of moans and words that sounded a mix between Spanish and unintelligible rambling to the taller man, Keith could tell Lance's past sexual encounters weren't exactly up to his standard. 

 

 

Altean's were a loving people, sex like this was rare as they firmly believed that being slow and gentle was the key to pleasing their mate, there was no way none of them tried to court Lance on all of his years spent on the planet. Lance was an insanely gorgeous man! There was no way Keith was going to be able to keep him all for himself all of those years. It was fine, though. The past experiences boosted Keith's ego as he continued to pound into Lance's perfect body, earning loud moans of encouragement every time he moved. 

 

 

Keith moaned in a husky tone, slowing his hips down to slow, rough thrusts. “Take it, baby...Fuck, I’m gonna cum...Where do you want it, gorgeous?...” He groaned as he felt himself reaching the edge, he felt like he was ready to burst at the seams as he continued to rock his hips into Lance's beautiful, tanned body.

 

 

Lance panted hard and moaned breathlessly, feeling himself reach climax as he spoke, his voice shooting through Lance's body in a shot of arousal. “Inside...Please, Keith...I wanna feel you for weeks after this...”

 

 

Keith sat up and pulled the smaller man into a rough, sloppy kiss as he came hard into the tight heat of his body, feeling Lance jerk into his own as he came only seconds after. The two of them panted breathlessly next to each other after Keith finally pulled out of the soft, welcoming entrance of the man beside him, listening closely to the heart beat of one another.

 

 

After a few moments, Lance was the first to break the comforting silence between them, warm, sweaty bodies cuddling closely to one another as he spoke.

 

 

“Keith...I can’t thank you enough for showing me what it’s like to feel human again...Even if it’s only for a night.” He smiled fondly at Keith, earning a love-struck expression from the half-Galra.

 

 

“Why does it only have to be for a night?... Lance, if you’d let me...I’d like to give you more of this...Hell, I’d like to give you more than this...”

 

 

Lance felt his face brighten in a light pink blush, keeping his eyes on Keith’s violet ones. “So...You’re saying that you’d like to continue with this?.... And...Maybe something more?...”

 

 

Keith nodded, rubbing small circles into his back as he responded.

 

 

“Yes...And if you don’t want to go further than this, Lance, I’m fine with it...Don’t push yourself to be with me if you don’t feel ready...”

 

 

Lance looked down for a moment before looking up at Keith and grabbing his hands in determination.

 

 

“Keith...I don’t think there will be a time in my life that I’ll ever accept love like that again....But if it’s with you, I’m still willing to try...”

 

 

Keith smiled lovingly as he gently squeezes Lance’s hands in his own, leaning in and kissing him slowly. He pulled back slowly, letting out a little giggle as he looked at Lance’s “super determined” expression. 

 

 

“Then...Does dinner at 6pm tomorrow sound okay?...”

 

 

Lance nodded, draping his arms around his neck and kissing him back excitedly.

 

 

“It’s a date!”


	5. Morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith wakes up to an angry call from Shiro addressing some pretty important issues...

Bzzzzzzt…...Bzzzzzzttt…..BBBZZZZZZZTTTTT- 

 

Keith growled as he slammed his hand down on his phone, answering in a tired and disgruntled voice. 

 

“Hellooooo?...” 

 

The BOM leader winced as the familiar, booming voice of his brother came over the small speakers of the device. 

 

“Keith! Jesus Christ, we’ve been looking all over for you and Lance last night, do you know how worried I was? You wandered out there after pounding back I don’t know HOW MANY drinks, and-” 

 

“Shiro….” the shorter man firmly interrupted, causing Shiro’s voice to immediately stop and earning him a small sigh from the other side of the speakers. 

 

“I’m fine, I promise.” He smiled into his words, giving a little chuckle. “I went home with Lance last night, everything's fine. We’ve been together all night, trust me, he took good care of me and made sure I didn’t do anything stupid. Just for you~” Keith cooed jokingly. 

 

Shiro grumbled before answering, anger spilling out through the tone of his voice. 

 

"Keith, just...stop it. What exactly did you do last night?..." 

 

Ah. There it was. 

 

Keith was probably the worst at keeping things hidden from Shiro...or really, anybody. He figured that it was as good a time as any to tell Shiro he gave Lance the ride of his life that night and passed out with his naked body afterwards. The same night he'd just had to re-introduce himself to him...Man, maybe that wasn't such an amazing idea. 

 

"We...slept together, okay? But I promise neither of us was drunk, I swear, I wouldn't do that to him and vice versa. So...don't get mad, okay?... I just...missed him so much I didn't know what to do about it, all these emotions came running back and I-" 

 

Shiro sighed loudly and tiredly before sitting down, the creak of the bed echoing slightly in his quiet bedroom. “Keith...it's okay. Listen, the two of you are old enough to make your own decisions and if this is how you both unwind after everything then that's fine. At least you gave each other consent...But, you running off like that after last time? This isn’t a joke to me, Keith...you know how much trouble you get into around here, more so now with your...problem…” 

 

Keith frowned, speaking softly as he got up, looking at himself in a small mirror hung up neatly in Lance’s hotel room. 

 

“I don’t have a problem-”

 

“You do have a fucking problem, Keith! If I let you live in the bar, you would, that’s how serious this is. I don’t care, Keith...Lance is back, and he needs to know, he’s going to want to help you too!” Shiro interrupted as Keith pulled the phone away from his ear slightly, sighing at the loud and now angered voice on the other end. 

 

“You need to tell him about this and you need to admit to yourself that you have a problem...and you have to admit why you started…” 

 

“I don’t want Lance to know, Shiro…” Keith started quietly, looking back at his sleeping friend as his body began to softly stir. “I can’t talk about this right now…I have a date with him tonight, I can’t say something like that to him, it’ll turn him off!”

 

“You asked him out after THAT display?... Keith, I’m coming to get you. You can go out with him tonight, but promise me that there will be NO bars and NO drinking...Okay? I’m not trying to embarrass or hurt you...I’m just...worried.” 

 

Keith smiled reassuringly, trying to add the expression into his voice as he responded to comfort his older brother. 

 

“I swear, Shiro...you don’t have to remind me, I wouldn’t put you through what I did last time ever again, you know that…” 

 

Shiro shook his head smiled sadly. “You better not...If I have to drag your body out of a ditch ever again you’d better hope that the doctor’s don’t bring you back next time…”

 

“Damn, Shiro...that’s dark….” Keith frowned a little, slipping on his shirt from the other night and re-buttoning it up over his fit body. 

 

“Yeah? Well, I mean it...and that’s not only from me, don’t think Curtis isn’t also on your ass.” 

 

“Pft, not more so than he is on yours.” 

 

“Keith! Christ...I can’t have a simple and serious conversation with you, no matter how old you get…” He chuckled lightly. 

 

“Nope...and you’ll never get one, old man.” He grinned as he heard Shiro let out a dramatic gasp, letting out a small laugh. “Anyways...I’ll wait outside the hotel across the bar for you. You can give me food and fashion advice for tonight!” 

 

Shiro rolled his eyes, grabbing his car keys as he headed out the doorway. “That gay stereotype is dead and you know it, Keith.” 

 

Keith smirked, fixing his hair as he pulled up his jeans, plopping himself down next to the slightly awake Lance. 

 

“With the way you dress...Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Keith snickered when he heard the soft beeping sound, indicating that Shiro hung up on his ass again. He set his phone down, gently sitting Lance up and smiling softly at his sleepy friend. 

 

“How’d you sleep?...” 

 

“Like, the best I’ve ever had in years…” Lance smiled as he leaned into the taller man, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “I see you’re pulling a walk-of-shame-getaway with all your clothes on at-....” 

He glanced at his phone. “Oh shit, never mind, it’s 2:00 pm…Well, damn.” 

 

Keith laughed full heartedly as he held Lance close to him, shaking his head at the slightly smaller man. “Shut up, you know I’m not like that. Shiro’s demanding me home so I kinda have to cut our time short until our date tonight.” He leaned down and kissed Lance back, smiling at him as he brought himself to his feet. 

 

Lance smirked flirtatiously as he stood up with him, grabbing a robe and wrapping it around his thin waist. “Oh? Still hung up on taking me out tonight? Well...in that case, I better do all my errands early and make sure I look for something nice to wear…” 

 

The smaller man leaned into Keith’s body one last time for the day, whispering softly. “Don’t you dare ditch me, okay? Or I’ll have to punish you.” He joked. 

 

“Although I love the sound of that, I wouldn’t dream of it, Lance.” He almost expertly flirted back before leaning in and pressing a deeper kiss into his soft, pink lips.

 

Lance figured this must be all Curtis’s doing because Shiro couldn’t hit on anyone if his life depended on it. Keith had changed a lot, probably for the better, he thought. He watched as Keith hauled on his boots and headed to the doorway, giving him a small wave as Keith turned back to do the same. 

 

“See you tonight?”

 

“You bet, it’s a date with you, after all.” 

 

Lance smiled fondly as he watched the taller man exit the door, flopping back onto his bed and sighing softly. He stared up at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath before letting out a soft whine. “Man, my ass hurts…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is pretty short and that I haven't gotten anything done on this for a while, but man, college is hell sometimes. I just recently got engaged to my girlfriend as well so it's been busy and wild! I hope you guys can forgive me, I promise I'll get back into writing more often for this fic so that it's updating regularly. There will be more than 6 chapters, so expect an increase in that too. Adios! <3 - Bubblynx


	6. Let's heal together...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is ready for his date...but is Keith?

Lance hummed softly to himself in the mirror of his hotel bathroom, singing a soft song he'd heard from one of Pidge's video game's under his breath. He couldn't recall the name, just that it was weird and full of random Disney characters; not really his thing at all...

 

It was the only song embedded into his head, really. He'd been away from Earth for so long he'd felt like he'd lost complete touch with the music being produced over the years after Earth had finally re-strung itself together after the Galran war. It was a hard time, but...the team and his family had helped him get through. 

 

He couldn't help but remember back to that day again, on top of the black lion in the sunset with Keith, his rival, now-turned lover. 

 

There was something that felt so genuine and warm about creating this new relationship with him, much better than a one-night stand or a constant friends with benefits ordeal like his previous endeavours...

 

He decided it was best not to dive too deep into the past, tonight, he wanted to enjoy himself. Y'know, get to know Keith a lot better than he already had; what he liked, about his family, more about what he'd been up to...what more of his kinks were-

 

No, Lance, mind out of the gutter, out of the gutter for tonight...maybe...

 

Well, damn, if Keith wanted to he surely wasn't going to decline now, was he? 

 

Lance smirked to himself as he brushed his hair back a bit, giving himself his signature "finger guns" in the mirror. It felt good to be here, made him feel like he could be his fun-loving self again. He could get used to this, maybe even...stay here again. 

 

He smiled fondly as he just about finished up readying himself, taking in a deep breath to calm himself before slowly letting it out. He could do this, it may have been a long time since he'd allowed himself to be taken out by someone, but he knew he could do it. Besides, Keith was a far more comfortable person to have a date with than some random alien he'd never met before prior to being asked out. 

 

Lance set down his brush, fixing the collar of his plaid shirt before stepping out of his bathroom and waiting by the doorway, looking down at his phone. 6:00 pm, on the dot. He smiled to himself as he fumbled around with an old phone game he'd used to play, mainly to just help Pidge out with hers by sending her gifts in it, but it was a nice way to pass the time!

 

He'd completed a level in no time at all, then another, then... another...... and........ another...? 

 

Lance furrowed his brows as he glanced back up at the time on his phone. 7:30 pm...

 

That... can't be right... where the hell was Keith? 

 

Lance was a little heartbroken, he felt his heart drop as seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to another hour. He dared to glance up at the numbers on his phone one more time. 

 

9:30 pm.

 

Okay, now he was pissed. It was time to hunt Keith down and give him a lashing for standing him up like this. Keith knew what he'd been through, knows how important this was to him, knows how excited he was to try again...

 

Unacceptable. He was going to find his mullet-wearing ass right this instant. 

 

Lance didn't even bother to grab a sweater as he sped out of the hotel room doorway and into the lobby, turning his head and speaking to the kind, older lady at the desk. 

 

"Hey, you didn't see a tall, black-haired dude with punk looking clothes on, right? Violet eyes? Mullet?" He asked, a hint of sass in his voice as he was still very clearly, pissed. 

 

The lady smiled kindly and nodded, gesturing to the bar across the street. "He'd been wandering around the outside of the bar for quite some time, pacing. He went in just about an hour ago, haven't seen him since." 

 

Lance shook his head in disbelief, giving her a wave as he stomped across the street and into the building ahead, clearing his throat once he entered. "Keith Kogane....A WORD?..." 

 

He turned his head to one of the two-person tables, there he was, alone, face down in the table with his hand clutching a vodka bottle so tightly Lance could swear the glass was cracking beneath his hand. 

 

It was probably one of the most pathetic displays he'd seen, he couldn't help but wonder...

 

Is that how Coran and Merla saw himself all these years?

 

Just like that, the rage went away. Lance knew what had to be done here, of course, he was still pissed about their date now being ruined, but Keith clearly needed help. Keith has a problem, Lance knew this, he knew in the way Keith carried himself, knew with how fast he could chug those drinks back that night he first came to visit...yet he didn't think to bring it up when he and Keith were alone and in each other's arms, when Keith was sober...

 

Instead, they....just...

 

He felt sick to his stomach, he knew, he knew all of it and let his desires get in the way of possibly getting through to Keith. 

 

He felt disgusting, but this wasn't the time for self-pity. Right now, Keith needs him. 

 

Lance stepped closer, his expression softening as Keith slowly lifted his head. Tear-streaked eyes met Lance's own as Keith let out a strangled, broken sob upon seeing him there in front of him. 

 

"I'm sorry..." He spoke lowly, sniffling before grabbing a napkin from one of the holders on the table next to him and blowing his nose into it. 

 

Gross... he was drunk, though. Lance figured he'd excuse that disgusting display for now.

 

"Don't be..." He smiled reassuringly as he reached out, rubbing soft circles into Keith's cheek with the pad of his thumb. 

 

"But I... I ruined our date 'cause I'm jusht... I fink you can find shomone better...like-...like lasht time...." He slurred as he leaned into the warmth of Lance's hand, lip quivering as he tried to choke back another sob. 

 

"Last time?..." 

 

"Allura...I tried sho hard to tell you how I felt... when I tried, you went to her anyways! I don't want that to happen again, I can't, Lance, I-..." Keith choked on his words, his built-up courage failing him as he let out another sob. 

 

"Oh, Keith... Keith, listen... calm down a little and just listen to my voice... yes, I did love Allura, what she and I had together wasn't exactly the best, but I was in love with her... I wanted to take a chance." He smiled lovingly at his lover, running his fingers through his hair as he spoke softly. 

 

"Before she passed away, I knew she wasn't happy with me... I knew that I shouldn't have pushed her to it, I... knew that I should have been with someone else. Her last "I love you" to me felt more friendly than it did romantic, and honestly... that felt right. I'm always missing her, all of us are, but at least she can be with Lotor, the man she was truly in love with... and... I know she would want the same for us, Keith..." 

 

Lance tilted his head a little, leaning in a little closer as he kept stroking Keith's hair in an act of comfort. "I can't change the past... but I would like to try to change our future, and I want us to do it together." 

 

Keith sniffled, letting a fond, warm smile spread across his flushed, drunken face. "I want to, too..." 

 

"Good..." Lance spoke with a smile as he pressed a gentle kiss to Keith's alcohol flavoured lips. 

 

"Now... first order of business, get you some water and get you into bed for the night." 

 

Keith frowned at the thought of that, gently clinging to Lance's arm. "You don't want to go on our date?..." 

 

"We can re-schedule... I promise I'm not going anywhere. I think the best thing for the two of us to begin this healing process is to just... get a wicked good-night rest."

 

Keith sighed, almost disappointingly as he clung to Lance, wobbling a little as Lance pulled him up to his feet and headed to the door. 

 

"Put whatever he got on my tab, I'll get back to you with payment tomorrow!" He waved as he lead his newborn deer-legged lover out of the doorway. Jesus, he was absolutely plastered! 

 

Lance had to laugh as Keith kept his full concentration on walking from the bar to the hotel entrance, fumbling more as they walked up the stairs to his room. Lance rose his eyebrow as Keith began to strip upon entry, flopping down on the bed in the complete nude. 

 

This... was not at all what he'd planned when he planned to look over Keith for the night. In Keith's defence, alcohol does raise your body temperature! 

 

He decided to excuse it, for tonight, but would surely make fun of him for it in the morning. 

 

Lance sighed tiredly as he flopped next to his ex-rival, pulling him close to his body as he cuddled the already snoring man. Man, he reeked of vodka and fruity martini alcohol's, even a hint of tobacco, which is another thing Lance planned to help him with, in the future. Right now, the drinking problem was the most important...and Lance was ready to move forward and be there for him, every step of the way. 

 

He closed his eyes, nearly drifting off to sleep when his phone buzzed loudly. Lance opened one eye to glance at the bright screen, his eye focusing on the name of the contact and the tiny message that accompanied it. 

 

He smiled warmly as he read it in his head, closing his eyes and setting his phone aside, the screen with the message still shining dimly within the darkness of the room. 

 

"Shiro: Thank you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since I have time on my hands and our second semester is coming to a close, I now have more time to update! <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I ever posted on this, or really anywhere so sorry about my possibly bad writing abilities,,, I just wanted to get some feelings out after the disaster that was S8.


End file.
